“I grew up in Highfields and our transport to town was the Melbourne Road bus.

“My big adventure as a little boy was to visit a favourite aunt who lived on a tram route.

“Trams were very different beasts from buses. Their gears howled, they clattered over points and pitched and rolled like a ship at sea.

“My aunt lived near the Narborough Road tram terminus, where the tram shelter still exists, adjacent to the school playing fields.

“The scary bit was when the tram reached the bottom of Applegate Street hill.

“The track turned sharp right over West Bridge and because of the adverse camber, the tram leaned over alarmingly and I was convinced we’d tip over West Bridge into the canal. Of course, it never did!

“My aunt lived just one stop before the terminus and after the formality of the hug and compulsory sloppy kiss, I was allowed to walk the 100 yards to the terminus and sit in the tram shelter and note car and lorry numbers in an old school exercise book.

“This was just after the war and in the hour or so I’d be sitting there, I’d perhaps see only 20 or so vehicles!

“When I grew a little older – perhaps seven or eight, my mother would get off at the usual stop, but I’d be allowed to stay on to the terminus to be allowed to help the conductor flip all the upstairs seat backs over to face the right way for the tram’s return to town. Happy days!”

*See tomorrow’s edition for some important information about the Mr Leicester page.